


We Belong Together

by Arwen88



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Coffee Shops, Fluff, M/M, Starfleet Academy, Vulcan Kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-25 23:04:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14388969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arwen88/pseuds/Arwen88
Summary: Spock only wanted to study in peace and somehow he ended up in a coffee shop where he meets Jim, another cadet looking for a quiet place to study.





	We Belong Together

**Author's Note:**

> “We Belong Together” comes from Toy Story 3. Thanks to Chococate for proofreading this since english is not my first language. All remaining mistakes are mine. Looking for a beta for another Star Trek fic (Jim/Spock; Jim/Spock Prime), let me know if interested.

Spock only wanted to study in peace, but his room was occupied by his rather noisy roommate and with the incoming exams the library was filled by the buzzing anxiety of hundred of cadets. The anxiety and frustration of the others would press against his skin, distracting him, almost making Spock want to scratch at the exposed parts of his body. That was the reason why he had finally decided to forgo the trip to the library after the lessons to instead look for another place where he could study.  
There was a coffee shop not far from the campus that he had heard of many times and he managed to find a place where to sit after giving his order at the front. The place was full of people, but the emotions in the air were at least not so pointedly distracting as they were in the library.  
Spock started laying the padds on the table in front of himself while he waited for his tea to be ready. He noted vaguely that the man on the counter would shout not names but what seemed to be nicknames. For a moment Spock stopped and looked at the people who went to pick up their orders, finding fascinating the whole process. He could probably understand why the young woman with ginger hair was called "red", or why the tellarite was called to the front as "the beard guy", but he found the process wasn’t as convenient as the usual method used in other establishments, where the clients would be called by their names. More than once since he was there, more than a client had approached the counter together, believing the order ready was indeed for them. He vaguely asked himself why the man with the scottish accent had elected that method, but was distracted by the employee calling for "the genius boy".  
Spock sat still for a moment, wondering if it could have been for him, due to the general concept that vulcans were a species with superiors intellects. With the thought that at least he hadn't been called "pointy" or "green", he rose from his seat to walk to the counter. When he reached for the cup Spock's hand suddenly came in contact with that of another young man and - even if it had been the briefest touch - he was left almost breathless at the spark that that had ignited, the tingling sensation spreading from his fingers to his arm. He stopped and turned to look at the other, marveling for a moment at the appealing features of the cadet that was at that moment standing beside him, his eyes fixed on his own hand were he apparently had felt the spark as Spock had himself.  
A moment later the young human rose his gaze on Spock and he opened up in a smile that left Spock blinking once, unused to people showing pleasure at being so close to him if it wasn't to ask for notes or making a prank at his expenses.  
"I'm sorry, I thought it was for me." He shrugged.  
Spock kept silent for a moment, asking himself who that man could have been to ignite such a reaction from him, but then he dipped his head a fraction, his eyes going from that beautiful smile to the eyes of the cadet beside him.  
"No harm done. I thought the same." He admitted, before turning his attention to the employee that was coming back with another order at hand.  
Seeing that none had picked up the first mug, he looked from one to the other before pointing to the young human.  
The other cadet picked up his order from the counter with a soft smile, sidestepping Spock to not be in the way of the next client.  
Spock expected him to move and let him return to his table, but the other cadet just stood there, watching Spock from over the brim of his cup.  
"I'm Jim." He said with that soft smile still on his lips.  
Spock lifted one eyebrow, curious at what the cadet might had been interested in presenting himself. "Spock." He nodded curtly, kind of hoping the interaction would not cease after that. He was most curious in fact to find more about the man, even if he made a point to keep his hands behind his back.  
Jim grinned, a kind of smile that Spock _really_ wasn't used to receive. "First or last name?"  
"First." He admitted, before proceeding with his customary "you could not pronounce my last name". He had seen the majority of the people he had given the answer to react with emotions going from confusion to anger, but he illogically hoped this time it would meet another answer, for he was not trying to imply his interlocutor was not smart enough, he was merely advising them about the difficulty to pronounce a name in his native language.  
But the cadet huffed a smile and shook his head. "No last names suits me fine." He chuckled, his eyes searching Spock's face for something.  
Spock instinctively straightened his back, not wanting to appear lacking for some reason.  
Jim seemed to decide he wasn't lacking in any way because the smile stayed in place as he nodded towards Spock's table.  
"Not to bother you, but would you mind if I shared your table? The place is packed and I really need a place where to study."  
Spock was left speechless for a moment, before a loud "for the black bowl" interrupted them.  
Jim huffed another smile and pointed at the counter with his mug. "That's you, I believe."  
Spock tried to suppress the heat rising on his neck and turned to retrieve his tea before showing Jim to his table, hoping that the cadet would not oppress him with his anxiety as they studied, likely nervous for the exams as the rest of the academy cadets that populated the library at that very moment. Or, even worse, that Jim would try to, as they said, "chit chat" with him while he tried to focus.  
For once in his life Spock was actually curious to know more about the man he was interacting with, to understand why he kept smiling at him, why his touch would leave his body pleasurably tingling, but truth was that Spock talked with his peers so rarely that he wasn't sure how to engage in a discussion not about a scientific subject.  
As soon as they were seated one in front to the other Jim started taking his padd out of his bag much as Spock had done, sipping his coffee before raising his gaze once more on Spock.  
"I'm pretty sure I saw you around the academy once or twice, you know?"  
Spock kept quiet for a moment before inclining his head slightly. "It is possible indeed."  
"I'm in command track." Jim explained, probably trying to gauge where and if they had had a chance to meet.  
"I am in a double track of command and science." Spock admitted, taking his eyes away from Jim's face and back to his padd to not make it seems he wanted to stare.  
He had expected - almost hoped - Jim would keep talking, but the young man merely nodded and turned his attention to his padd too.  
Spock was pleasantly surprised by the focus the boy would pour on his studies, much as Spock was used to do with his own, since he had seen more than once other cadets fidget, tap their feets or murmur by themselves while studying. Jim instead just sat in front of him, completely focused on his padds, not taking his eyes off even when he reached out to pick up his cup, slowly sipping his coffee. If Spock had dreaded being subjected to his anxiety he was instead glad to feel only calm coming from his new study partner.  
Spock felt more at ease than he had ever felt in the presence of another cadet outside of the classroom. They studied in silence for the good part of the afternoon, till Jim rounded his shoulders, straightening his back as he lifted his gaze on Spock.  
"I need a break." He announced with a lopsided smile.  
Spock wasn't sure as to what the utility of the information was for him so he merely nodded, watching Jim raise from his seat.  
"Going to eat something. Do you want another one of those?" He asked pointing at Spock's now empty mug.  
Spock was surprised at the offer and he regarded the cadet with curiosity. "There is no need-"  
"I know there is no need, but you gave me a place where to sit, I'd like to repay you somehow." Jim smiled softly.  
For the first time in his life Spock felt the desire to reach out and touch another being, to feel for himself what emotions they were hiding under the surface. He refrained from it, intertwining his fingers on the table in front of him.  
"There is still no need, but if you insist I would be amenable to drink another chai tea."  
Jim smile broadened as he nodded before leaving their table to go order.  
With Jim "taking a break" in front of him, somehow Spock found himself doing the same. It was probably due to the hot tea that he was holding in his hands, or maybe because of the cookies that Jim had pushed between them saying they were "vegetarian-proof".  
Suddenly Jim struck up a conversation with him as he had avoided to do previously, asking Spock about what classes he was taking, apparently really interested in what courses they were sharing. Turned out they were both in the class Spock had just left before going to that coffee shop.  
Spock started asking the same questions back to Jim, his interest for the boy growing as they left behind the lists of their classes to engage in a discussion about the late essay they had been given for their class. Jim raised many interesting points and for once while speaking with a fellow student, Spock was almost tempted to take notes.  
He almost lost track of the passing time as they moved from that subject to astrophysics and the incoming lecture that weekend at the academy. The attendance was not required, but they both were eager to participate. By the time they left the coffee shop to go back to their dorms, Spock was feeling content like he had never experienced after dealing with another student. He was looking forward to going to the conference together with Jim and actually having another chance to talk with him.  
He was sure his mother would have been proud of him for managing a long verbal interaction in person with a human without managing to offend them inadvertently.

"I find I am still musing over the nickname the barista of this business had given me." Spock admitted a week later, observing the _black bowl_ scribbled over his mug.  
Jim chuckled in front of him, raising his gaze from his padds.  
"It's because of the hairstyle, Spock. I get it's quite normal for vulcans, but humans - let's just say that it's a style more commonly donned by little kids whose parents lack imagination." He grimaced a bit, hoping it wouldn't offend Spock.  
"Fascinating." The vulcan murmured, sipping his tea while his eyes roamed from Jim - once again focused on the essay he was writing for the diplomacy class - down to the mug sitting at his right, the "genius boy" barely visible from where Spock was seated.  
Spock had found that Jim could manage to awake a ferocious curiosity in him, almost like a new science that Spock wanted to learn about. The young man had gone to the conference with him, and Spock had managed to keep focused on the lecturer, even though his mind had tried wandering more than once whenever Jim's knee would touch his own by accident. Then they had dined together at the academy caffetteria, talking about what they had just listened to and the theories that had struck up more their attention. The more he managed to know Jim, the more it was clear to Spock that the young man had a brilliant mind. He still thought about the spark he had felt that one time they had had a contact skin on skin. It was maybe shameful, but Spock wanted nothing more than to repeat the experience and discover if it was a single occurrence or if it was something that he would feel everytime.  
When Jim had entered the classroom that early afternoon and seen Spock already seated in the front row, he had beamed at the vulcan, unaware of the way his heart had illogically started beating faster in his syde, and had approached him to take one of the empty seat beside him. Before the instructor could start the lesson, Jim had proposed to go back to the coffee shop to study together and Spock had agreed wholeheartedly, keeping quiet over the fact that he had been on the verge to propose it himself.  
"Can I ask to what your nickname is due?" He asked, because he knew better than to assume, even though he had calculated the probability that it was due to Jim's high grades in school.  
Jim snorted inelegantly, a smile on his lips. "Well, I'm a genius." He grinned charmingly, a grin that made Spock raise one eyebrow as he pondered how many times his fellow cadet must have used that devastating smile. But then the effect was ruined by a shrug and a shake of his blonde head. "Nah, it's just that once I helped Scotty with an equation, and since then he had started calling me like that. Kinda unwarranted actually, he could have come to the same conclusion given enough time. He's really brilliant, you know." He added, pointing at the counter with a thumb over his shoulder, not even turning towards the barman with the scottish accent that was shouting for _the little mermaid_ to go pick up her drink.  
Spock felt an irrational spike of emotion at that casual remark, but he suppressed it and decided that he would have analized what it was later, on his meditation mat. In that moment he merely straightened his shoulders and moved the conversation over the computer class that he was attending and that Jim had hinted he wanted to attend in the next semester.  
If a little voice - that sounded extremely similar to that of his mother - told him that he was jealous and trying to show Jim that he was in fact as brilliant as the scottish man if not more, he decided to ignore it and that he was doing it only because Jim had seemed interested in the subject.

Before two weeks had passed by, Spock found himself accepting Jim's offer to have lunch together with his friends in the cafeteria. They made for a good conversation, but Spock refrained to admit that he would have rather just spent that time alone with Jim.  
The young woman that had presented herself as Uhura elbowed Jim gently and, if it wasn't for his vulcan ears, Spock wouldn't have caught her asking in a murmur how it was that he had managed to make friends with Spock after she had spent months trying to struck up a conversation with him. Spock was surprised to hear so, since he remembered the cadet talking with him during the xenolinguistic club sessions, but everytime she had actually asked him if he wanted to eat together he hadn't been hungry. Apparently he had missed the clue that she wanted more than eating together up to that point.  
Jim chuckled softly and shrugged, his face looking maybe a touch more pink than before as he threw a glance in Spock's direction.  
"Luck, I believe."  
Spock refrained to say that he didn't believe in luck, hiding the curling of his lips by dipping his head to focus on eating his salad.

His acquaintance with Jim had Spock changing his routine little by little to accommodate his desire to spend more time with his new friend, to study together or to have lunch with him and his friends, more often than not just the two of them together or accompanied by Jim's best friend and roommate.  
After almost three years spent mostly by himself, the changes were soon noticed not only by his fellow classmates at the caffetteria, but also by his supervisor. Spock discovered that Pike was actually both his and Jim's supervisor, but if the vulcan for a moment had expected the captain to discourage him from making any friends and focusing instead on his studies, he was surprised to hear the man congratulate him in making friends with a fellow student. Apparently Pike had been worried the whole time that, even if Spock's grades were the highests, he would not mingle well with the rest of the crew once on a starship. But now that he knew that Spock was able to keep up with Kirk and his friends, it was clear he was ready to get along with the rest of the humanity. Spock wasn't sure if Pike was joking or not when he said that Jim was the most human of any other human he knew, but Spock merely nodded, deciding to take his words as a compliment for Jim instead of the insult they would have been if spoken by a vulcan. In the end Pike seemed to be fond of his new friend, so Spock relaxed at his remarks and decided that the man was still worthy of his trust.  
Not everybody seemed to take so well his friendship with Jim though, and Spock was in fact approached by no less than three other cadets in the following weeks, all intent on warning him that he shouldn't have made friends with the "golden boy". Apparently they felt that Jim was clearly manipulating him for some obscure reason.   
The first one didn’t want to go into details, just saying that Jim was clearly putting up with him because he wanted something. Spock decided to ignore the first warning, and walked away when the second stopped him in the hallways some days later, grabbing his arm to stop him.   
Spock stared at the offending hand till the cadet removed it from his arm. Then, after the guy said that Spock clearly did not know Kirk enough to understand that he was after him only to get in his pants, he simply stared at him with a raised eyebrow before walking away without a single word. He didn't think the accusation even warranted a remark.  
But then the third student approached him, this time in front of the class that had been just dismissed, and everybody was able to hear the young woman tell Spock that Jim couldn't keep "his junk" into his pants, that he had sex with half the quadrant, and that clearly if he was all "buddy buddy" with Spock, it was to get it from him too. Although Spock could not recognize some of the ways to say the cadet had employed, it was clear what the message she wanted to convey was, and Spock could clearly feel the focus of many cadets on them, his classmates having all but stopped in their track to witness his answer.  
Spock was trying not to react too badly at the accusations moved against his friend. Moreover, he knew that whatever was or would be between the two of them was no one else's business, but he couldn't keep quiet anymore, the irritation a seething ball in his stomach.  
"As far as I know every sentient being in the universe is - by the Federation's laws - entitled to his own body. By that I mean that they have the right to do with said body anything they please to do. Since cadet Kirk is a sentient being, and a legally adult one at that, I am quite sure that he is within his rights to do whatever he wants with his own body. Be it have a sexual encounter or not have one. It is not any of my business and I believe it is not any of yours, cadet."  
The woman scoffed, not really bulging. "He wants to fuck you and throw you away like a doll."  
Spock regarded her with a raised eyebrow, trying to convince himself her words did not warrant a nerve pinch. "My friendship with cadet Kirk is not any of your business, nor would it be any eventual variation of it. Your concern is noted but not appreciated nor required. Goodbye, cadet." He nodded at her, before exiting the classroom with the focus and amusement of the others pressing against his skin.  
It wasn't long before the argument he had been a part of, and how he had been warned about Jim's rumored promiscuity, was a known fact by all the academy. It was, after all, a closed space full of young humans prone to gossiping.  
Jim appeared somehow tense in the next days, often throwing glances at Spock as if he expected his friend to just stand up and walk away from him with no good reason or explanation.

Spock waited till they were in the privacy of Jim's dorm room, playing chess, to address the unsaid question. He would have done it sooner than later, but he didn't want more people to try and eavesdrop on their conversation, especially since half the student body seemed to think they were nothing more than a juicy conversation subject.  
"Jim, am I correct to presume that you are experiencing a high level of anxiety in regards to the discussion I had at the end of my classes four days ago?" He asked after placing his rook on the board, his gaze raising from the game to his friend's eyes.  
In the silence of the room Spock heard the moment Jim stopped actually breathing, before the young man took a deep breath, hesitating only a moment before nodding vaguely.  
"Yeah. I mean." He scratched his head, clearly embarrassed. "I hoped they would not come to you with all of that. You know I'm not after your pants, right?" He asked rather nervously, stealing a glance at his friend.  
Spock felt a little smile tug at his lips. "I am quite aware that you are not after my pants, as you say. But I wanted to reassure you that their words hold no significance to me. For all the humanity has evolved, it amazes me to see how they still hold tight to prejudices."  
"I know, right?" Jim scoffed softly, staring at the board, fidgeting with the sleeve of his shirt.  
Spock hesitated for a moment before starting to talk again, hoping his words weren't going to be unwelcome to his friend.  
"Jim. What I told that cadet is true: I do not care for the rumors that surround you, I do not care if said rumors are true or not. It is your body and you can do with it whatever you please. I hope you will always make sure to put your health first, that is for sure, because I care about your well being." He admitted. "But otherwise you have not to worry about my judgement on your character. You are a unique human being and I feel fortunate that I had had the chance to become your friend. Moreover, I am convinced that if - as that cadet implied - you were one day to desire a change in our relationship you would first discuss about it with me in an adult way." He stopped for a moment, watching Jim's eyes become rounder and rounder the more Spock talked. "It is true that vulcans value monogamy in a relationship, and I am sure that if you were to want to engage in a relationship with me you would accept what it entails and act accordingly. I have the deepest trust in you and in your character." He nodded, feeling his heart beat maybe a bit too loud in his side as he watched his friend gape at him as the realization of what Spock had just said hit him.  
They kept quiet for minutes, as Jim passed through many facial expressions, clearly trying to digest everything that had been said and looking for an adequate answer.  
"Of course, Spock." He murmured in the end, his voice slightly hoarse.  
Spock nodded, starting to relax, and he was about to move his gaze back to the chess board when he saw Jim's smile spread on that appealing lips and the vulcan found himself unable to look away.  
Then Jim reached out towards one of his hands and when - for the first time after many months - they touched skin on skin, the spark was there once more, bringing tingles up to his arm and to his chest. Spock watched with parted lips as Jim's eyes became unfocused for a moment, probably feeling the same tingling sensation. The smile Jim was giving him became impossibly wide as the young man gently caressed Spock’s knuckles with his thumb, letting Spock feel the affection and joy the human was experiencing in that moment, emotions for once directed right at the vulcan.  
"I want that, you know?" Jim murmured, grinning up at him.  
Spock nodded without a word and moved his hand only to hold gently Jim's fingers, pushing through that contact his own feelings for him, curling slightly his lips at the blush that rose on his friend's cheeks at sensing his love for the first time.


End file.
